DaimlerChrysler SA renamed

With only a 19,9 per cent stake in Chrysler after selling most of its stake to Cerberus Capital Management in August this year, DaimlerChrysler AG has recently held a milestone meeting in which the company name has been changed to Daimler AG. To fit in with this process, DaimlerChrysler South Africa has renamed the local company to Mercedes-Benz South Africa (Pty) Ltd.

According to the company, “The guiding principle of the name change process was to draw a clear distinction between the corporate brand Daimler and the group’s product activities.“ The name change comes into effect as of 10 December 2007.

Chairman of the local company, Dr Hansgeorg Niefer says, “This name stands for a company with solid roots in South Africa; and a strong tradition stretching over 53 years which has been dedicated to excellence in manufacturing and for bringing superb vehicle products to the SA market. This name change in no way affects our present contracts and undertakings. It is ‘business as usual’, with a fresh focus and renewed energy. We are pleased to be producing world-class Mercedes-Benz products for export to both right- and left-hand drive markets, and proud that our company name will also reflect this.”

Niefer also added that the marketing of other vehicle brands such as Mitsubishi, Freightliner, FUSO and Western Star will continue.

Subsidiaries in the local Daimler group will have the following name changes, effective 10 December 2007:

Despite the name change, Daimler Fleet Management Services will continue to trade as debis Fleet Management (dFM) owing to their strong brand recognition and plans to provide vehicle-branded solutions in the near future.

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